Question:
What is the main difference between the SOLE F85 and SOLE TT8, wondering why the difference in price?
This is a great question, because you’ll find that the Sole F85 retails for $2,000 and the TT8 retails for $2,300 dollars. What makes the TT8 worth 300 dollars more than the F85?
Short Answer:
The Sole TT8 has a much better running belt than the Sole F85.
Side by Side
At first, it’s hard to tell the difference in these two treadmills even when compared side by side. I took the following screenshot from Treadmill Comparison – an excellent resource for comparing up to 4 treadmills.
*NOTE: Treadmill Comparison, the site that I got the above image from, seems to think that the Sole F85 has a 20″ wide treadbelt. This is not true. It has a 22″ inch treadbelt just like the Sole TT8. They need to get that fixed. It had me very confused. When in doubt, always refer to the specs manufacturer’s page. 🙂
Right off the bat, I notice that the TT8 is NOT a folding treadmill while the Sole F85 is. For me, this is a major turn off. If I’m going to store a treadmill in my house, it better have the option to fold up because they are big and clunky and take up a ton of room as it is.
So why is the TT8 300 dollars more than the F85? So far, that answer is not at all apparent. I’m not seeing anything better about the TT8 at this point.
More Digging
So far the F85 is the obvious choice but let’s look a little deeper before we make a final decision.
The Sole TT8 is newer and has a 4 ply running belt
Comparing these two treadmills on Sole’s official site, I found the following information:
You’ll notice that the TT8 has a 4 ply treadbelt which is awesome. Most treadmills have a 2 ply treadbelt which is pretty good. You can actually find some treadmills out there with a 1 ply treadbelt which is not good. Not that 2 ply is bad, because it’s not but you can expect a 4 ply treadbelt to last a heck of a lot longer than one that is two ply.
You can read about the differences between a 4 ply treadbelt here and here.
My Pick
Not only does the TT8 have a 4 ply running belt, but it is a 2012 model while the F85 is of 2002 blood [source]. Ten years is a very long time in treadmill years. While Sole has been making great treadmills for a few decades, you can bet the TT8 is going to be a killer machine. It’s for this reason that I would seriously consider the Sole TT8 but ultimately choose the F85 just because it folds. I don’t need the latest and greatest and if I can save myself 300 bucks AND get a folding treadmill, that’s what I will do.
It’s a pretty tough call and I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if most of you readers would choose the TT8. It’s new, it’s fresh, it’s going to last you a very long time. If you need a folding treadmill, however, the F85 is the way to go.
